What is a key IPv6 security consideration that differs from IPv4?

What is a key IPv6 security consideration that differs from IPv4?

• A. NAT is required for IPv6
• B. NAT is not used by default in IPv6
• C. IPv6 requires NAT traversal by default
• D. Privacy extensions are disabled by default

Answer: (B)

IPv6 changes the security posture because it does not rely on NAT by default. The vast IPv6 address space lets devices commonly have globally routable addresses, so end-to-end connectivity is the norm and NAT isn’t required or typically used. That means you can’t depend on NAT for shielding internal hosts; instead, security relies on proper firewalling, access controls, and, where appropriate, IPsec. Privacy considerations are addressed differently too, with features like privacy-oriented addresses often enabled by default on modern systems to reduce tracking. The other statements misstate IPv6 practice: NAT isn’t required, NAT traversal isn’t a default requirement, and privacy extensions aren’t universally disabled by default.

IPv6 changes the security posture because it does not rely on NAT by default. The vast IPv6 address space lets devices commonly have globally routable addresses, so end-to-end connectivity is the norm and NAT isn’t required or typically used. That means you can’t depend on NAT for shielding internal hosts; instead, security relies on proper firewalling, access controls, and, where appropriate, IPsec. Privacy considerations are addressed differently too, with features like privacy-oriented addresses often enabled by default on modern systems to reduce tracking. The other statements misstate IPv6 practice: NAT isn’t required, NAT traversal isn’t a default requirement, and privacy extensions aren’t universally disabled by default.